Chapter 4 - THE BLEEDING TRUTH
The betrayal hit harder than a physical blow. Silas. The man who had stood beside me at my father's funeral. The man who had poured the first drink when Julian supposedly died.
He was the leak. He had always been the leak.
"You sold him out," I said, my gun leveled at his head.
"I made a business decision," Silas replied, his eyes cold and steady. "Julian was weak. He wanted to go legitimate. Caldwell offered a different path. Now put the gun down, Dominic. Caldwell just wants the woman. He doesn't need you dead tonight."
"If he wants her, he goes through me."
Silas sighed. "Have it your way."
His finger tightened on the trigger. Before he could fire, a deafening crack echoed through the garage.
Silas staggered backward, dropping his gun. He clutched his shoulder, blood spilling between his fingers.
I looked back. Marco was leaning against the concrete barrier, his weapon smoking, his wounded leg giving out under him.
I didn't hesitate. I fired once, hitting Silas in the chest. He collapsed onto the cold concrete.
"Get in!" I yelled at Marco, rushing over to haul him up. We scrambled into the SUV. I slammed it into gear, tires shrieking as we tore up the ramp and burst out into the storm-battered streets.
Rain lashed the windshield. The city blurred past us. Marco was breathing heavily in the backseat, tying a makeshift tourniquet around his leg with a belt.
"You good?" I asked, eyes scanning the mirrors for headlights.
"It went clean through," Marco grunted, his face pale. "I'll live. But we can't go to any of the usual spots. Silas knew them all."
"We're going to the old boatyard," I said. "My father's place. It hasn't been on the books for twenty years."
I glanced at Elena. She was staring out the window, her hands trembling violently. But she wasn't crying. Her jaw was set.
"He's the one who found us," she said quietly. "Silas. He came to the house in Seattle. He let Caldwell's men in."
"He's dead now," I said.
"It doesn't bring Julian back. And it doesn't get Leo back."
"I will get Leo back," I promised, the vow cementing in my chest. I owed Julian that much. I owed him everything.
We arrived at the boatyard an hour later. It was a rusted, decaying structure sitting on the edge of the harbor. Inside, the air smelled of old timber and motor oil. It was dark, cold, and safe. For now.
I helped Marco onto an old canvas cot in the back office. Elena immediately moved to his side. She found a rusty first-aid kit in a cabinet and started cleaning his wound with surprising efficiency.
"You've done this before," Marco noted, wincing as she poured antiseptic over the bullet hole.
"Julian got hurt sometimes," she said softly. "I learned."
I watched her, realizing how much I had misjudged her in that warehouse. She wasn't just a broken victim. She was a survivor.
I pulled the crushed silver locket from my pocket, prying the GPS tracker out with my knife and crushing it beneath my heel. I handed the locket back to her.
She took it with shaking hands, holding it to her chest.
"Elena," I said gently. "Tell me exactly what Caldwell said to you about Leo."
She finished bandaging Marco's leg, then looked up at me. Her expression shifted, a sudden, terrifying realization dawning in her eyes.
"He said he had him," she whispered. "He said if I didn't tell him where the safety deposit box key was, he would hurt Leo."
"What key?"
Elena reached into her boot. She pulled out a small, brass key on a leather string.
"Julian left this with me the day he died. He said if anything happened, this key opened a box at First Fidelity. He said it contained enough evidence to put Caldwell away for life. And enough money for Leo and me to disappear forever."
I stared at the key. "Caldwell doesn't have the boy."
Elena froze. "What?"
"Think about it," I said, the pieces suddenly snapping together. "If Caldwell had your son, he wouldn't need to torture you for the key. He would just hold a gun to Leo's head and make you hand it over. He tortured you because you're the only leverage he has."
Elena's breath hitched. "But... he showed me Leo's backpack. It was covered in blood."
"A prop. A manipulation." I stepped closer, gripping her shoulders. "Elena, who was with Leo when Caldwell attacked your house?"
She looked horrified. "Our neighbor. Mrs. Gable. She was babysitting. But Caldwell said they killed her."
"Did you see her body?"
"No."
May you like
I let go of her. "Caldwell let me find you. He put a tracker on you. He wasn't trying to lure me into a trap. He was using me to rescue you, so you would lead us straight to the one place you feel safe."
Elena's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god. Mrs. Gable didn't take him home. She took him to the parish."
